Plant a Seed (watch it grow)
by Insomniac.no.Life
Summary: In Kokuyo Land, after Mukuro's defeat, Tsuna's potential begins to grow. In canon, Reborn cultivates it secretly, away from public eyes. In this world, however, Reborn will make sure that the whole world acknowledges Tsuna – Vongola Decimo. A series of drabbles.
1. 1: Almost Right

Plant a Seed (watch it grow)

Summary: in Kokuyo Land, after Mukuro's defeat, Tsuna's potential begins to grow. In canon, Reborn cultivates it secretly, away from public eyes. In this world, however, Reborn will make sure that the whole world acknowledges Tsuna – _Vongola Decimo_.

()()()()()()()()()()

His palms are gross.

They're clammy, sweaty and shaky from nervousness. Tsuna rubs them on his uniform trousers and shifts in his seat, eyes nervously flicking from his hands to the teacher up at the blackboard. She's glancing around the room now, and Tsuna can feel the butterflies transforming into a large heavy stone at the bottom of his stomach before her eyes even land on him.

"Sawada." Dread, dread, cold, freezing dread. "Try to do this one."

_This one._ Tsuna's shaky legs are just barely supporting him when he stands up. Wide eyes stare at the board, zeroing on the equation that his teacher is pointing to. It's one of the easier ones, one that they had been taught to solve at the beginning of the unit.

It makes absolutely no sense to him.

_'One. Just one. You can do that, can't you?'_

Just one, he repeats Reborn's words to himself. Just one. I only have to do one.

_This one_.

He's standing in front of it now, gripping a piece of chalk so hard that he's just short of breaking it. Looking up, he struggles to keep the various numbers and variables from swimming in front of his eyes. But he's still aware of his surrounding, though the board and its white writings are enclosing him more and more by the second. He can hear his classmates' snickering and feel the teacher's exasperation as she stands behind him, tapping an impatient finger against her bicep.

They're all waiting for him to fail, like always.

_'But you didn't fail last time, did you? Your friends are all safe, and you're alive.'_

Slowly, ever so slowly, the board shrinks until Tsuna can see the words at normal size again. They're a jumble of white strokes, but he keeps staring until they begin rearranging themselves. He starts to see them, the little things that Reborn has been beating into his head for the past couple of weeks.

Order of Operations. Important, he recalls.

The hand holding the chalk lifts by a few centimeters.

Variable on one side. Also important.

The white stick almost touches the board.

Fractions. Get rid of numerators – no, got blasted out of the window – get rid of the denominators, multiply...

And then, and then...

The chalk clacks softly against the board before his trembling hand guides it across the hard surface. The first stroke is barely visible, and Tsuna has to write over it twice before the white comes off properly, but the rest is smooth. Gradually, the numbers and variables narrow down until there are only one on each side of the equal sign. A circle is drawn around the last line before Tsuna nervously sets the chalk down and takes a step back.

Silence.

It doesn't last for long, though. Their teacher moves after a few stunned seconds and picks up the piece of chalk he'd just returned to the holder.

"Close," she says, marking the negative sign he'd forgotten to take out of his answer. She's still looking at him with a strange sense of wonder in her eyes, as are the rest of his classmates, but Tsuna doesn't notice.

It's the nicest thing a teacher has said to him in years.

()()()()()()()()()

_It's an incredible feeling, coursing through his adrenaline-hyped nerves. Mind strangely clear, Tsuna raises his fists up to eye level._

_They're warm, still a little hot from the flames that had lit them minutes ago, and Tsuna can't quite believe that they're truly his._

_But he clenches them tightly and remembers what they have done. Yes, he thinks, they are his. He'd done it, done it himself, with his own two hands._

_He hadn't failed this time._


	2. 2: Stepping Up

**A/N: This, unfortunately, won't be updated as often as you may be hoping for it to be. I really just write up a chapter when the inspiration hits, so… yeah. **

**Oh, and I'm kind of stuck on what to write for the next chapter… any ideas? ( :D ))**

**And yes, I have a double chin. **

()()()()()()()()()()

_"Why do I have to do all that, Reborn?"_

_"What do you mean why? You can, so do it."_

_"But I've never done it before!"_

_"Because you couldn't. Now, you can."_

_"..."_

_"You can now, Tsuna. You know you can."_

_"... I just want to be normal. After Mukuro, the Vindice... I just want to be normal. Is it that hard of a request?"_

_"You will be normal. You'll be able to answer questions like a normal student and be treated like a normal student. That's what you call normal, isn't it?"_

_"..."_

_"Being treated like trash isn't normal, Tsuna. You're the Vongola Decimo – "_

_"I never wanted to be Decimo!"_

_"Tsuna."_

_"..."_

_"You. Are. Not. Normal."_

_"... I can act normal."_

_"You can, but not forever. One day, you'll slip up, and your 'normal' will be gone."_

_"..."_

_"Show them before they find out. Show them what the Vongola is, what your family, famiglia - what the Tenth Generation Vongola is."_

()()()()()()()()

His hands are gross again.

Tsuna grimaces at them with distaste, wondering if he will need to go through this every single day, for the rest of his high school life. Knowing his luck, probably. And knowing Reborn's list of 'things to do', definitely.

"Two teams of eleven!" Enemoto-sensei is still barking out orders in front of them. Tsuna stops glaring at his sweaty palms to look at him. "Team leaders, step up!"

Tsuna watches their class' top basketball player walk to the front. The spot beside him remains empty, as Yamamoto has yet to claim it as their top runner and baseball star. Yamamoto moves away from his spot next to Tsuna and Gokudera to do that exactly, but stops when fingers grip his wrist. He blinks at his friend. "Tsuna?"

Breathe, Tsuna reminds himself, ignoring how it sounds more like a desperate prayer. Steady.

"Y-Yamamoto." He winces at the stutter, nervous from the knowledge that Reborn is watching. But he takes another deep breath nonetheless and looks straight into Yamamoto's eyes, trying to remember and summon the cool calm he'd felt weeks ago while staring into mismatched red and blue eyes.

"Would you follow me?"

At There is a moment of silence before Gokudera, ever loyal, speaks up from beside Tsuna. "Of course, Tenth!" He enthuses. "To the ends of the earth and back!"

It only takes another blink for Yamamoto to follow suit.

"Yup, of course," he echoes Gokudera. "Just take the lead."

And Tsuna does, legs and hands shaking, but with his eyes and mind startlingly clear. The class is staring at them, as is the teacher, all looking at Yamamoto in disbelief when he lets Tsuna take his place. The crowd's gazes are partially shielded by the two standing slightly in front of him, and Tsuna faces the rest with his chin held a touch higher than usual.

Then he's picking out team members, carefully running over the information he had subconsciously picked up before - Ooyama, strong but slow. Kamiyama, lithe with good footing. Osamu, moderately athletic but slow to react. Taniguchi, also athletic, not bad at running - and sorted them in his mind. Some of the more sports-oriented people are chosen by the other team, but Tsuna sticks with strategically pulling most of them onto his. A few have lower stamina, but are motivated enough to not just stand by and watch.

The match starts, and Tsuna brings back the fluid movements he knows that he is capable of, slightly tensing his limbs to not flail them around gracelessly. Every move he imagines as one to be executed with great caution, lest a cursed spike scratches him or an aura-powered hit slips past. He dribbles with focus, analyzing the approaching feet and faces for sudden swipes at the ball in his possession. He slips up a few times, either because he occasionally stumbles through unfamiliar movements, or because he loses concentration. But with Gokudera ferociously protecting the ball and Yamamoto chasing it down whenever he makes a mistake, their score doesn't dip below that of the other team.

Tsuna doesn't score throughout most of the game, up until the last shot, targeted straight at the corner of the net. For a second, as he goes through the movement, Tsuna sees dark blue and crimson red in place of black and white. Then the field comes back into sight, along with a baffled goalie, many amazed looks, and reluctant approval.

He's panting for breath, mind fuzzy and body sore from the unusual exertion, but he still smiles when Gokudera runs up with a wide grin and nothing but praises on his tongue. And of course Yamamoto follows from behind and says "that's our Tsuna!" with a laugh that's never been brighter.

And that was that. He'd done it, this time too.

()()()()()()()()()

_Blue and red eyes finally slide shut, no longer clouded without the ugly black flame-like aura dancing around them. "So this is the Tenth Vongola... the man who defeated me."_


	3. 3: Famiglia

**A/N: First of all, I'd like for you all to know that I dance stupidly to every review, follow, or favorite I get. Infinite thanks to you all, because god knows that I need the exercise. **

**Jokes, you guys are the BEST. Hugs and kisses, you all, and I've been drowning in Bangtan stupidity \\(T.T)/ **

**I'd ask you guys to save me, but I want to drown you guys too, so… stay away from the crazy author. Trust me, it's for your own good. **

**Well enough of my rambling. It's a bit more humorous than the other two, but here's the third mini-chapter.**

()()()()()()()()()()

Days after, whispers still follow him down the hall. Predictably, Tsuna's sudden and drastic level up catches the attention of the entire school population. Tsuna knows that normally, there would be a lot more going on than just whispering, but Yamamoto and Gokudera have stuck by his side the entire time, and Gokudera wards off most of the people with an impressive scowl.

Tsuna truly enjoys their company after years of being the school pariah, but the attention quickly becomes stifling. Sticking together in class is alright – even if Gokudera insists on aggressively taking over the seat next to Tsuna – and walking around school and back home with the two of them has already become the norm, so it's not a drastic change. Infringements on basic privacy, though, is where Tsuna draws the line. It still traumatizes him when he remembers how they had absentmindedly wandered into the same bathroom stall, occupied with a particularly animated discussion (read: _very _animated argument). It's a wonder that his face hadn't burnt off, flushed as it had been when realization finally hit.

Point is, having two guard-dogs surrounding him at all times has been far from a thrilling experience. It's been an uncomfortable few days with all the pointing and blatant staring, but Tsuna's had worse. Being pushed around at the trash area behind school and tripped at every possible opportunity has trained his mind against harmless things like behind-the-back gossiping, even when it's really not all that discreet and quite bold. Mental abuse he could take. As for physical – well, he's found that he is actually pretty good at running, as long as it's _away_.

Tsuna can take care of himself, and he's determined to get that across.

"You're _not_ following me into the bathroom again," Tsuna musters up all the hidden sternness that he (possibly) has and stands firmly in the entrance way, blocking his two ridiculous friends.

Gokudera actually looks _heartbroken_, which makes absolutely no sense, but Tsuna still feels like he's kicked a puppy. The whine-like pleading doesn't help disperse the image either. "But Tenth, the restroom is the most dangerous territory! There are no escape routes other than that window over there, and even the Tenth would have a hard time fitting through it!"

Tsuna looks to Yamamoto for help, but the taller teen only shrugs unhelpfully. Resigned, Tsuna tries to explain why he doesn't need to fear for his life in a school bathroom, but Gokudera somehow squeezes past him into the room and begins gesturing enthusiastically.

"Please observe!" He's saying, drawing vague lines all around. "The level of exposure that this small opening provides is unacceptable. A decent sniper would have a dozen opportunities to target the vitals!"

Tsuna sees nothing in the repeated motions to signify trajectory and projectile lines (Gokudera's moved on to talking about handheld grenades). Neither does Yamamoto, but the tallest of the three is energetically nodding along, cheering for Gokudera to calculate all the possible ways he can throw a baseball through the window. Gokudera complies, too caught up in his spiel to remember that he 'doesn't take orders from anyone but the Tenth', and Tsuna estimates that it'll take around ten minutes for the both of them to calm down.

Glancing at the clock, Tsuna heaves a sigh before sliding into a sitting position. Hopefully, they'll stop before break ends, and he can sneak off to relieve himself.

()()()()()()()()()()

Trying to ease them from being proactive bodyguards hasn't worked for the past few days, so Tsuna ditches them for the first time ever. Guilt gnaws at him even as he first asks for Gokudera to grab the notebook that he had 'forgotten' to get, and then waves Yamamoto off to talk to his teammates, leaving Tsuna a few precious minutes to dash _away_. Honestly, the retreat is totally justified, but Tsuna just can't help but worry about their reactions. And to think that he had wanted nothing but to get away from the scary 'mafia gangster'.

All thoughts of the twin puppy eyes that Gokudera _and _Yamamoto will most likely give him, though, are shoved to the back of Tsuna's mind as soon as he steps out of the gate, alone for the first time in a week.

_Freedom._

'Maybe I'll walk around town for a bit,' Tsuna thinks to himself, absentmindedly tilting his head up to watch the clouds drift by. The weather is nice and he's craving for something sweet, like ice cream. Making up his mind, Tsuna starts towards the nearest market area, right next to the park. If he remembers correctly, there should be a small stall around the entrance.

Ice cream and a walk around the park. He can feel his mood lifting already.

()()()()()()()()()()

Except it crashes right down, when Tsuna is cutting through the park to the market. The bushes around the resting area rustle suspiciously, and quiet sniggering cuts through the previously relaxing atmosphere. Tsuna stops humming and slows until he's standing a few feet away from the undergrowth. Eyebrows furrowing, he waits for another sound, unsure if it had just been his imagination.

The sound comes, but it's actual words this time.

"Hey, come on, aren't you gonna stand?"

_"Don't try to be a hero; it doesn't suit you,"_ is what Tsuna will one day hear. What has his blood roaring in his ears and his fists clenching isn't anything heroic though, but a slow-burning anger that he hasn't felt in a long while. The last time it appeared, his friends had been bleeding their lives out with a psychopath in their minds.

Tsuna stalks around the thick trees and peers through the leafy plants. The scene he witnesses is almost laughably similar to the one he had imagined. Boys his age, four of them, with three surrounding another.

"We can't be _that_ scary, can we?" One smirks. The obvious target of the bullying is trembling so hard that he can barely crawl backwards as his tormentors loom threateningly, and pales visibly when the teen on the left steps forward.

There's a deceivingly kind smile on his face as he lays a hand on scrawny shoulders. "We're just here for a chat. We were really hurt when you told on us, you know?"

The mousy boy on the ground speak up with a voice that barely holds, and which Tsuna finds ridiculously familiar. "Y-you were violating the school rules! Telling the teacher was the… right thing t-to…"

The sentence falls almost pathetically at the end, and the last bully sneers in a way that twists his face in a rather ugly manner.

"What a Goody-Two-Shoes," he remarks scathingly. "The _right_ thing to do, was it? I'll have you rethink that."

A finger beckons, and the three teens draw themselves up to their full heights, practically dwarfing their victim.

The boy is tiny, scrunched up into a ball, shaking, and his lips trembling incredibly hard in what seemed like an effort to not cry for help. It's obvious that he's already been tousled before, smears of dirt and mud on his hair, face, and clothes. He looks terrified and alone, and everything was so much like the old Tsuna that he's out in the open before he even realizes.

Tsuna's sudden appearance halts the bullies, and they all look over.

"What the – " one starts, caught off guard, before glaring harshly. "What are you looking at?"

"Get out of here!" His friend barks.

And perhaps the third teen also shouts something at him, but Tsuna pays them no mind at all, instead meeting the shocked gaze of the mousy boy. The mixture of fear and small hope he sees in the wide staring eyes starts something in him, something at once warmly protective and blazingly fierce.

"Don't worry," Tsuna smiles softly, letting the heat flow through him. "I'm here to help."

()()()()()()()()()()

Tsuna supposes it safe to assume that the boy will no longer be bothered. It hadn't been as smooth as it would have in Dying Will Mode, his eyes and mind not as sharply focused and body that much more conscious of pain, but the jeering teens are gone after the tussle, each probably nursing matching black eyes.

Tsuna winces, poking his own bruised face. He wonders if telling his mom that he'd been hit by a baseball is a good enough excuse. Sadly, considering her tendency to look over the most obvious clues, it probably is.

He's pulled out of his thoughts by a shaky voice. "U, um, t-thank you…"

The harassed boy's standing in front of him, tenderly cradling an elbow. Remembering how he'd been on the ground, Tsuna guessed that it had been hurt when the bullies shoved him down. Tsuna shoves down the spark of anger at the thought, and instead smiles again. "It's no problem. I couldn't have left the situation be."

The boy only looks down though, at his shuffling feet. "No," he murmurs quietly. "You could have. That's what everyone does."

And Tsuna had never thought that he could sympathize with someone as much as the boy before him, recalling both the outright bullying and the determination of the people around him to not notice it. By the looks of it, the same thing has been happening to the one he'd just saved.

He's still bitter about it, has been unconsciously nursing a grudge against everyone cruel and apathetic enough to think that constant abuse of the mind and body wouldn't do lasting harm to a child. He still finds it hard to look his teachers in the face, and even more difficult to not hunch his shoulders up when speaking with another classmate. School will probably always carry the worst memories for him, always remind him of his darkest moments when it had really seemed like no one cared enough.

And yet…

There are people who sometimes make him forget that. People who always show so much care for him that he finds it hard to believe, so much that he hardly notices the lack coming from others. People who take it upon themselves to patrol every hallway and room they come across, and pick him up every morning at his house. People who don't mind fetching things for him because 'even a meter is too full of opportunities for those assholes', and people who seem to honestly prefer his company to other jocks and fawning fans. People who have been assuring him time and time again that he wouldn't ever have to feel worthless or lonely again.

He wonders how he could have been so blind.

So Tsuna brings up a hand to rest on the boy's shoulder, careful to be slow and gentle when he flinches. His busted lip stings, but Tsuna pulls the corners up nevertheless. "Many people do. Many people are too scared to step up for someone else, and sometimes not even when it's for themselves. Everyone wants to get through life without anything bad happening, and sometimes they'll make someone else take on the troubles if it means that they don't have to."

"But you know," he says, holding the tentatively trusting gaze with his own, even as he hears familiar shouting in the distance. "There are some people who will stand up for you, and make sure that there's nothing you can't handle. Maybe they'll go overboard, take everything on for you, or they won't think about the consequences when they do, but they really are there. You just have to find them."

The shouts are now explicit threats to blow up the "damned bastards who have kidnapped the Tenth", accompanied by a seemingly carefree tone calling Tsuna's name, underlined with worry. Tsuna can feel himself grinning faintly, more filled with gratitude now than ever. One last time, he squeezes the boy's shoulders. "Push through until you find those people. You'll be more than fine then, trust me. I know I am."

"I – " the boy starts before hesitating, then nods haltingly. He still looks afraid to have his hopes up, but somehow, Tsuna knows that he will at least try now. "Thank you. I'm… I'm Kenya, Akari Kenya. Can I – can I know your name?"

"Sawada Tsunayoshi. It's nice to meet you, Akari-san."

()()()()()()()()()()

Tsuna gets home late, a little harried from the fussing Gokudera and Yamamoto had subjected him to, more from the former than the latter. Mostly though, he feels almost ridiculously happy. All his cuts and bruises have been taken care of, and Tsuna admires the skillfully wrapped wounds that are much better done than his own sloppy bandaging.

When he steps out of the bathroom, Reborn is perched on his bed instead of the usual hammock, and watching him with something almost imperceptible in his eyes. "Nice job," he remarks. "Akari Kenya's family is quite influential. They're even a little known in the underground, though he isn't aware of it. Developing a tie with him could be good for the _famiglia_."

Tsuna has expected this, knowing that Reborn will turn anything into something beneficial for the Vongola. But at the same time, he also knows that it isn't the most significant part of the encounter.

So he ignores Reborn's typical response and opts to sit next to him on the bed instead, making sure to hold his gaze before saying, "I meant what I said, you know. People sometimes don't see those around them, who help to turn their lives around. They might even think them as annoying, and claim that they hate them."

There's a moment of silence, as Reborn seems to contemplate the direction of the conversation, whether or not to humor him. Finally though, he gives in and voices the question. "Do you now, then?"

There's no hesitation as Tsuna nods, confirming. There's a change, he feels, after the short conversation that quickly gave way to the usual mayhem and torture. Maybe it's between him and Reborn, for the unsaid acknowledgement and thanks for his initially unwanted involvement in Tsuna's life. Maybe it's the way Tsuna suddenly feels calmer, like he's found something stable in the life around him, and feels just that much more secure. But maybe, it's the slight easing of conflict that has always been wedged between him and the dark bloody world he imagined.

Privately, he thinks, if his friends and mentor are part of it, then maybe he wouldn't mind protecting his _famiglia. _

()()()()()()()()()()

**A/N: more suggestions for the next chapter, anyone? **


End file.
